Foundation Courses

Major electives

Graduates of the MS in Computer Science program must be proficient in at least one broad area of Computer Science listed below. For this reason students will take the remaining 8 elective courses as follows:

4 courses from one area

4 additional courses from any area. Including the option to take the 2-course SE Studio sequence, the 2-course GAM studio sequence, the 1-course CS capstone, the Research Colloquium course, or write an MS Thesis, or develop an MS Research Project.

The courses in each area are listed below. The Independent Study courses (CSC 695) may be taken for up to 8 credits and at most 4 credit hours of CSC 695 can count towards the chosen area.

As part of their electives, students have the option of signing up for the Research Colloquium or an Independent Study, or completing a Research Project, or writing a Master Thesis.

Research Colloquium

The research colloquium consists of weekly talks by a variety of speakers including faculty, students, and guests from the academic and business communities. The lectures feature new creative and scholarly work that encompasses the disciplines and areas of interest of the School of Computing. Students interested in attending the colloquium and receiving credit should sign up for the CSC 500 Research Colloquium course (NOTE: this course carries only 2 credits; it may be taken twice for credit.) Student evaluation is based on attendance as well as an online journal with reflections on each of the presentations. The educational objectives are to expose students to creative and scholarly research at DePaul and elsewhere, and to engage students in the thought process of identifying and solving challenging research problems.

Master's Independent Study

Students interested in a more in-depth study of a particular area can choose to work with a faculty member (not necessarily their academic advisor) on an independent study or research project. The work involved may include system development, empirical studies, or theoretical work. The student will register for up to 4 credit hours of CSC 695 Master's Independent Study. Four credit hours of CSC 695 replace one 500 level CS elective course in the MS in CS program. CSC 695 can be taken multiple times for up to 8 credit hours. Students must successfully complete the Foundation Courses prior to their first enrollment in CSC 695. Students interested in the Master's Research option must take CSC 695 for 8 credits. Students interested in the Master Thesis option will typically take 8 credits of CSC 695.

Master's Research

A student who has made a significant contribution to a research project, through work done in 2 quarters of CSC 695 (8 credit-hours), may choose to complete the Master's Research option. The student must submit a technical report detailing the results of the research project. This report must be approved by the student's research supervisor and the faculty advisor, at which point it will be made available to the public as a CDM Departmental Master's Research Technical Report. In that case, the student will be allowed to register for the 0 credit course CSC 696 Master's Research and the transcript will show the research project title as the course topic.

Master's Thesis

A student who has made an original contribution to the area (through work done by CSC 695, typically) may choose to complete a Master's Thesis. The student and the student's research advisor should form a Master's Thesis Committee of 3 faculty. The student will need submit to the committee a thesis detailing the results of the research project. After a public defense, the committee will decide whether to accept the thesis. In that case, the student will be allowed to register for the 0 credit course CSC 696 Master's Thesis and the transcript will show the thesis title as the course topic. The thesis will be made available to the public as a CDM Departmental Master's Thesis Technical Report.

Degree Requirements

Students in this degree program must meet the following requirements:

Complete a minimum of 52 graduate credit hours in addition to any required introductory courses of the designated degree program.

Complete all graduate courses and requirements listed in the designated degree program.

Earn a grade of C- or better in all courses of the designated degree program.

Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.

Students pursuing a second master's degree must complete a minimum of *52 graduate credit hours beyond their first designated degree program in addition to any required introductory courses in their second designated degree program.

*53 graduate credit hours required for MS Information Systems.

Students with a GPA of 3.9 or higher will graduate with distinction.

For DePaul's policy on repeat graduate courses and a complete list of academic policies see the DePaul Graduate Handbook.